Call for independent public inquiry into extradition of Hassan Diab

May 30, 2018 OTTAWA — Elizabeth May strongly supports the call for an independent public inquiry into the extradition of Dr. Hassan Diab.

“A confidential memo received by the CBC indicates that Dr. Diab was let down by his own government,” said Elizabeth May (MP, Saanich-Gulf Islands). “I was shocked to learn that the Department of Justice withheld exculpatory evidence from the defense and the judge who ordered Dr. Diab’s extradition.

“Furthermore, it appears that court delays were obtained and substantive support provided to France when their case was falling apart. Why was there such a high degree of collusion between government officials in Canada and the French in order to extradite a Canadian citizen?

“I sent a letter to Justice Minister Wilson-Raybould and Prime Minister Trudeau urging them to investigate this issue in an independent and transparent manner. Amnesty International Canada, the Canadian Association of University Teachers, the BC Civil Liberties Association and other civil society organizations have also issued this call.

“Dr. Diab was robbed of years of his life. He missed the birth of his son, and important developments in the childhood of his young daughter. We can never replace that lost time, but we could at least provide Dr. Diab and his family with an explanation. We owe it to them and to all Canadians to get to the bottom of this,” concluded Ms. May.